My name is Cinda. I live in Lafayette Colorado. I have a deaf dog named Hazel who needs a new home. I adopted Hazel from the humane society over two years ago. She is a little over four years old. She was in the shelter because her owner had died. Hazel is a super sweet dog. She has presumably been deaf since birth. She knows the following signs:
· Sit
· Stay
· Come Here (her favorite!)
· GO
· She can catch ANY treat in her mouth, she’s really good.
I am a night shift worker, sleep during the day. Hazel is a good, good doggie. She is content to stay in the house. Can be left alone for hours and never go potty in the house. She LOVES to go for walks and becomes so excited when she sees her leash that she literally trembles in anticipation. I am only 4’ 11” so I use a Gentle Leader collar so that my strength is not a factor. Before I starting using that, Hazel would drag me all over the place, especially if she saw a rabbit or squirrel. Also she doesn’t quite know how to act when she encounters another dog, she makes me nervous, so the gentle leader makes me feel much more in control and confident as she doesn’t even attempt to go after anyone or anything as long as she’s wearing it. Great invention.
Hazel absolutely loves my three children and they love her. When I was in a relationship, my boyfriend had a young child two years old, and Hazel has snapped at him several times because he makes sudden movements and startles her, especially when she’s sleeping. She has NEVER broken the skin but for this reason, I would recommend a home without very young (younger than 5?) child.
Hazel is spayed and micro chipped. She is up to date on all her vaccinations.
The reason I am looking to rehome Hazel is because of the constant year round shedding. I have purchased a $20 shedding tool that removes a lot of hair and brush her at least every other day. I have to vacuum daily. Although she has a very nice orthopedic dog bed, she waits until we go to bed and sneaks up on the couch at night. She ALWAYS gets caught of course, because she can’t hear us when we wake up and doesn’t know we are standing over her disapprovingly until we tap her and sign for her to get off.
Hazel gets along well with my teeny long haired Chihuahua and they play constantly and even though Hazel is much much bigger than my little dog, she has never hurt him. I also have a cat who Hazel doesn’t bother.
Anyway, my youngest son has asthma and it is getting to be a full time job trying to stay on top of the shedding situation. Also, my ex husband is making a big deal of the shedding, claiming that it is causing my son to have more frequent asthma related illnesses.
Another reason that I have come to this difficult decision is that I have family in New Mexico and when I go to visit them, I take the little dog with me because he’s so portable and allowed in hotel rooms as well as welcome at my families houses. I have tried leaving Hazel with friends while I’m gone but she does NOT respond well to this. I don’t know if she is just so stressed out that we have left her or mad at us or what, but she is very naughty. She counter surfs and eats food off the counters (she never does this at home, I could and do leave food out all the time and she never attempts to steal it even if we are not home), also she would come in from outside and immediately pee and poop IN THE HOUSE!!!!!. I was so embarrassed. I cannot afford to board her while I am out of state and I would like to visit my family more often as I have a new granddaughter in NM.
I just think that Hazel would do better with a couple or family that could share in her care. I am feeling very overwhelmed. I feel like it is all on me to walk her, brush her, feed her, bathe her, and vacuum vacuum vacuum.
I know that Hazel would not do well in a shelter environment and my heart breaks just thinking of it, but I am in an urgent situation. I worry if she will get adopted because of her deafness, and if she does, if the family would recognize how to deal with it. Also, I worry that she would act like she did when I left her with my friends and they would think she is a bad dog and return her. I really feel that she needs some patience and understanding and lots of love. She is a very loving affectionate gentle dog. And very well behaved, completely house trained.
I live in a tri level town home and I keep baby gates up going to the downstairs and upstairs in order to keep the bedrooms hair free and I would recommend confining her in this way especially at first in her new home.
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